Has Martin Smith Changed his Opinion ?

[ferryman]

Have you read his signed statement?

This is the start of it and it hasn't changed to our knowledge.

"I hereby declare that this statement is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and that I make it knowing that if it is tendered in evidence I will be liable to prosecution if i state in it anything which I know to be false or do not believe to be true." MS

We know he never had the slightest clue what he told police in confidence would be plastered all over the internet.

We know his wife is on record, since release of the files, as saying she has upmost sympathy with the McCanns.

Common sense decrees neither Martin nor his wife would have produced e-fits of a man either thought was Gerry.

Martin Smith, clearly, has changed his mind.

[G-Unit]

We know he never had the slightest clue what he told police in confidence would be plastered all over the internet.

We know his wife is on record, since release of the files, as saying she has upmost sympathy with the McCanns.

Common sense decrees neither Martin nor his wife would have produced e-fits of a man either thought was Gerry.

Martin Smith, clearly, has changed his mind.

Or neither him or his wife had anything to do with them. 

[mercury]

We know he never had the slightest clue what he told police in confidence would be plastered all over the internet.

We know his wife is on record, since release of the files, as saying she has upmost sympathy with the McCanns.

Common sense decrees neither Martin nor his wife would have produced e-fits of a man either thought was Gerry.

Martin Smith, clearly, has changed his mind.

It might be clear in your mind and logic, but not in everybody's, infact, I would surmise the majority of people are not agreeing with you,so why you keep going on making claims about it is a mystery

[pegasus]

You are relying on a journalist's incorrect text Ferryman, not on an actual quote in "" by the withess.
Here's another example of how absolutely wrong a journalist can be - look at the map in this article, it shows the supposed body remover approaching the sighting from exactly the opposite direction to what the witnesses said. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-crimewatch-appeal-suspected-2436903

[misty]

You are relying on a journalist's incorrect text Ferryman, not on an actual quote in "" by the withess.
Here's another example of how absolutely wrong a journalist can be - look at the map in this article, it shows the supposed body remover approaching the sighting from exactly the opposite direction to what the witnesses said. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-crimewatch-appeal-suspected-2436903

It's a real shame no-one thought to take  photograph of GM carrying a child of similar physical characteristics to Madeleine & showing that to MS. The body position of Madeleine would have been rather different to that of S, given their relative heights.
IMO MS was sure he'd seen GM but not sure enough to put his name to a positive identification (something which had already been discounted by the PJ because of the time of the sighting).

[pegasus]

It's a real shame no-one thought to take  photograph of GM carrying a child of similar physical characteristics to Madeleine & showing that to MS. The body position of Madeleine would have been rather different to that of S, given their relative heights.
IMO MS was sure he'd seen GM but not sure enough to put his name to a positive identification (something which had already been discounted by the PJ because of the time of the sighting).

I wonder why he
MS on 27 Sept stated his full availablity to travel to Portugal to make statements etc re his identification of 20 Sept.

[misty]

I wonder why he
MS on 27 Sept stated his full availablity to travel to Portugal to make statements etc re his identification of 20 Sept.

MS would not have known at that stage GM had been placed elsewhere by various witnesses for the time of the Smithman sighting (unless someone from within the investigation had told him, which would not make any real sense).
IMO there would have been an alteration to the time of the sighting had MS returned to Portugal rather than making an additional statement via the Gardai.

[pegasus]

MS would not have known at that stage GM had been placed elsewhere by various witnesses for the time of the Smithman sighting (unless someone from within the investigation had told him, which would not make any real sense).
IMO there would have been an alteration to the time of the sighting had MS returned to Portugal rather than making an additional statement via the Gardai.

It is a witness's duty to state what and who he saw, not to analyse other people's alibis.

If Amaral had been permitted to bring MS back to Portugal in mid October, the PJ would have shown MS the Kelly bar till records (which PJ obtained on 10 Oct), and asked him to identify the relevant transactions, and this IMO would have resulted in the time of the sighting being determined exactly (and probably later than 10pm IMO). 

[misty]

It is a witness's duty to state what and who he saw, not to analyse other people's alibis.

If Amaral had been permitted to bring MS back to Portugal in mid October, the PJ would have shown MS the Kelly bar till records (which PJ obtained on 10 Oct), and asked him to identify the relevant transactions, and this IMO would have resulted in the time of the sighting being determined exactly (and probably later than 10pm IMO).

We know what time they left the Dolphin - 2128hrs.
Both MS & PS said they had "a few" drinks at Kelly's. ie, more than one round.
Any sighting 10pm or after was not GM.
So what did Amaral hope to achieve if those facts remained constant?

[ShiningInLuz]

You are relying on a journalist's incorrect text Ferryman, not on an actual quote in "" by the withess.
Here's another example of how absolutely wrong a journalist can be - look at the map in this article, it shows the supposed body remover approaching the sighting from exactly the opposite direction to what the witnesses said. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-crimewatch-appeal-suspected-2436903

It is the graphic that is totally mangled, rather than the description.

He comes out the rear onto Martins and heads down the hill past the Tapas entrance.  He turns R to go round the south of Tapas and tennis courts.  He pops down the side of the block onto the W end of Teixeira.  He turn S onto Primeira and goes down as far as what is now Spar.  He crosses Primeira and heads W on Alvernaz.  Presumably it is down the steps onto Escola Primaria.  He passes Peter, then Martin, then Aoife, as per the Smith sighting.

Rather oddly, he does not have Smithman head E on 25 de Abril.  I wonder if he thought that was a bit strange.

[pegasus]

It is the graphic that is totally mangled, rather than the description.

He comes out the rear onto Martins and heads down the hill past the Tapas entrance.  He turns R to go round the south of Tapas and tennis courts.  He pops down the side of the block onto the W end of Teixeira.  He turn S onto Primeira and goes down as far as what is now Spar.  He crosses Primeira and heads W on Alvernaz.  Presumably it is down the steps onto Escola Primaria.  He passes Peter, then Martin, then Aoife, as per the Smith sighting.

Rather oddly, he does not have Smithman head E on 25 de Abril.  I wonder if he thought that was a bit strange.

Thanks Shining. Yes your look at the textual description of route is reasonable. Where are the 11 steps the journalist goes down (before reaching Teixeira)? Or does he mean up?
As for the map it has no resemblance to the textual route and I suspect it was probably draughted by someone else, possibly in the slug and lettuce cartography department over the road.

[ShiningInLuz]

Thanks Shining. Yes your look at the textual description of route is reasonable. Where are the 11 steps the journalist goes down (before reaching Teixeira)? Or does he mean up?
As for the map it bears no resemblance to the textual route and I suspect it was probably drawn by someone else, possibly in the slug and lettuce cartography institute over the road.

I've been thinking about that a bit.  Isn't it one that got trotted out very early on and is simply a stock graphic they plonk on many a story?  I'm sure I've seen this from a report dating well before Crimewatch 2013.

[pegasus]

I've been thinking about that a bit.  Isn't it one that got trotted out very early on and is simply a stock graphic they plonk on many a story?  I'm sure I've seen this from a report dating well before Crimewatch 2013.

Yes probably an earlier stock graphic plonked into the reasonable text (but it was a good opportunity to make a Canary Wharf cartography joke)

[pegasus]

We know what time they left the Dolphin - 2128hrs.
Both MS & PS said they had "a few" drinks at Kelly's. ie, more than one round.
Any sighting 10pm or after was not GM.
So what did Amaral hope to achieve if those facts remained constant?

Yes IMO sighting was probably about 22:15. But isn't it obvious from the child's long sleeves that this sighting was nothing to do with the missing child?

[ShiningInLuz]

Thanks Shining. Yes your look at the textual description of route is reasonable. Where are the 11 steps the journalist goes down (before reaching Teixeira)? Or does he mean up?
As for the map it has no resemblance to the textual route and I suspect it was probably draughted by someone else, possibly in the slug and lettuce cartography department over the road.

Steps down are from the rear of the tennis courts beside Primeira into the set of shops in front of Baptista.  In Google StreetView, go to the W end of Teixeira and look N.  I'd stick a screen cap in but I need to press FN and PRTSC at the same time, and for the moment I am still one-handed.

Then it is up a few steps onto Teixeira, or to be more accurate, onto Primeira.